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24 Weeks: Our favorite things!

I love reaching each little milestone because it means we are closer to meeting bambino!

This week I’ve decided to share a couple of the baby items that I have been obsessing over. We registered a couple of weeks ago, and I briefly mentioned that it was not stressful at all. Well, that is because I had a list of exactly the items we need. Ask your friends, the Babycenter community, etc for their favorite baby products. Between asking around and doing research on my own I feel passionate about everything we have or will have for bambino.

And another quick side note on that- We registered for a few mainstream items at Babies R Us, but most of our registry is from BuyBuyBaby. BuyBuyBaby has cheaper prices, you can use 20% off Bed, Bath & Beyond coupons (they are owned by the same company), and their selection is much greater (read: higher end and more up to date).

After pricing out cribs and realizing that the crib we liked is really expensive and not exactly what I wanted, we kept shopping around. Remember, space is a huge issue for us so we wanted a practical crib that would not eat up the space of the room. Young House Love & This Place Is Now A Home both have this amazing $299 crib from Walmart, and I kept going back to it time and time again. The Baby Bargains book that I have from my friend Allie (from 2008/2009) didn’t list the brand, so I was hesitant. When I saw all the rave reviews and even asked Kate about it myself, however, we couldn’t resist. We ordered it and PB put it together Sunday night. Isn’t it gorgeous? Just imagine it with bedding and pretty baby decor around it.

It even has a drawer underneath for storing the extra sheets- perfect for a small space like we have.

I learned about this company from A-List Mom. I haven’t gotten any bottles yet but I plan on buying these. They are glass which I feel is safer than the chemicals in plastic bottles. The BPA free ones have to have a replacement chemical to make them, right? I’d rather stick with glass.

This highchair is amazing. It raises to the appropriate height for an island which is great for city families like us. We eat dinner at the island most of the time so it will be great to have bambino at our height. It also goes to a recline position for when bambino is still too small so I can put him there for naps while I am cooking in the kitchen and still can keep a watchful eye over him.

If you’ve had any real-life conversation with me about baby stuff I know I’ve mentioned the OrbitBaby. I wish we had the stroller right now so I could admire it in person every day. The functionality is incredible, and the creators thought of everything to make life easier for mom and dad. I have watched every YouTube video and read dozens of reviews, and I can’t wait to push bambino around in it.

Our friend gave this to us this weekend, and she really knows me well. I had been eyeing it for weeks online! There is even a matching hat we can order. We are considering this outfit as the baby’s coming home outfit (if he fits in it). Isn’t it perfect for a city boy?

I could keep going on items I love, but I’ll stop there for today!

Current symptoms: This week I welcomed my good friend heartburn into my life. In my purse you will always find Tums, and I am constantly battling heartburn whether I eat a banana or a french fry. I don’t mind as long as it means bambino will come out with lots of hair! I was born with a mohawk so hopefully bambino will too. That wives tale is true, right? I also suddenly have a couple of spider veins on my legs and 2 on my face. I didn’t know I could get spider veins on my face and I am really upset about it. I will admit I can be vain (can’t we all sometimes) and I’m self conscious about them. Everyone says they can’t notice, but I can’t tell if they are just trying to reassure me or if they really can’t tell. I am also really uncomfortable when I lie down these days. My IT band on my right leg is really acting up, and I need a good run to work it out. Since I’m not running during this pregnancy I am just rolling it out and asking PB to knead my leg like dough when it gets really bad. It seems to help.

Speaking of running, I miss it so much. I can’t wait for the late fall when I can build up my running endurance again. I miss the natural high I used to get, and I miss sweating like that after a hard workout. Now I sweat as though I’ve run a half marathon while going on a leisurely walk.

And speaking of sweating, I am now a furnace. I secretly get really mad when PB suggests turning off the AC and opening the windows. It used to be the opposite, but now I am so hot all the time.

Random belly pic since I was in RI for my designated picture taking day and haven’t had any time during the week to take a good one.

Your baby’s growing steadily, having gained about 4 oz since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he’s almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he’ll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing “branches” of the respiratory “tree” as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

And for other visual reference, bambino is still the size of a papaya. I want a new fruit reference, please!

Random facts of the week:Weight gained in the last week: 1.2 lbs, the lowest weekly gain in a month.Overall weight gained: 19 lbs. I talk more about my weight gain feelings in my latest Babycenter post.Current cravings: nothing really. I’m more craving people to cook for me. If you cook for me I will eat anything you make. Tonight I’m making shrimp barley salad because I really want something clean but filling. It also doesn’t take a long time to prepare but makes a big quantity so we can eat it for a couple of days. Oh, and Life cereal with cold skim milk hits the spot when I feel a snack attack.Kindnesses of strangers: A few people let me cut in the bathroom line at a wedding. I was very grateful. Then the Whole Foods guy offered to bring my groceries to the car. I actually teared up at this kindness (I’m so silly). I also declined and asked for a rain check for when I’m bigger. Need to save some things up for the end! The security guard at the front desk helped me cart my groceries in. I am very thankful to the kindness of all of these strangers.Overall physical feeling: Tired. I wish I had the time to take that daily afternoon nap I promised myself. I need it.Overall emotional feeling: Excited and ready. I can’t wait to meet bambino, and as we figure out each next step I get more anxious with excitement.Trips planned: ONE! We are going on a very mini weekend babymoon. It is going to be amazing, and I’ll share more about it next week.

28 Responses to “24 Weeks: Our favorite things!”

Comments

i’m loving everything! your crib is adorable! I’m sure the bambino will do just fine in it! glass bottles are the way to go…the plastic ones are not only infested with chemicals but you need to replace them often. glass is the best investment in my opinion.

I LOVE those bottles! I’ve seen them in a few blogs, but don’t know anyone who is using them. I’m really interested to see how they work out. I love everything you’ve picked out and can’t wait to see Bambino’s finished room!

I LOVE the bedding! We almost picked the same one, but we have to buy 2 sets of bedding (darn those twins haha) so we went with cheapy cheap stuff, so we could spend the money on bigger stuff like strollers and car seats. You should check out some etsy baby shops, they have so much cute owl stuff!

@Emily, p.s. also remember to take time to take it easy! When you’re tired, rest. When you’re hungry, eat. Don’t overstress your body! I won’t tell you my story, it’s pretty depressing but I am on bed rest in the hospital right now so you never know how quickly things can change so take care of your body! Take that nap!

@Emily, Thank you. I will take your advice seriously. I’m sorry you are on bed rest in the hospital. If you need some more reading material I’d be happy to guide you to some of my favorite pregnancy blogs.

We got those glass baby bottles too… and heard so many great things about them! I really love that highchair!!! Too bad we already got one.. but it’s so modern and funky! Sorry you’re having a case of the heartburn blues… It’s crappy. Mine comes on like right before bed every night right now. Not fun :-/ but tums definitely help! Hopefully it passes for you here soon! Can’t believe you’re already 24 weeks!!! Crazy how fast it goes.. Not too long and we’re gonna be MAMMA’S!!! xoxo

You look gorgeous!! That highchair looks pretty sweet, same with the stroller!! Almost getting me excited about any future babies I’ll have to remember those ones! Have a great time on your babymoon!! Much deserved

@Megan, We rarely use our car and I have to walk to run errands. I can’t imagine wearing a baby and also carrying groceries or drycleaning etc. Won’t it be easier with a stroller? Did you wear your son for errands too and push a cart to carry them or did you just wear him for walks? Enlighten me!

@RhodeyGirlTests, we used the stroller for walks around the neighborhood, but when we were out shopping it was a pain because we’d get it all set up and then my son would just cry in it and we’d have to carry him and push the stroller too. I think it depends on the baby a lot. My son wanted to be held 24/7 for the first month at least, but I know other babies are cool with just sleeping in the stroller.
We do live in the suburbs though, so everything requires a car. Living in the city might make a Bjorn or wrap even better for you. The bonus is that you’ll be “hands free” I’d get one to try and then if it doesn’t work out you can just sell it or pass on to a friend. It’s always good to have options!

Oh gosh, I am in love with that bedding. I seriously pined over it when I was pregnant, but couldn’t justify spending the money on it. I still have an infatuation with owls though. And bananas gave the the worst heartburn at certain times during pregnancy. Isn’t weird how the simplest of foods can do that?

Just wanted to tell you we have the same crib (well the white/brown version) and we love it. Almost two years later we are still using it and it looks great. I never would have guessed I would be buying a crib at Wallmart but it was an amazing steal!

Hey Sabrina! You look so great and I really hope you’re enjoying your pregnancy, believe me when I say it all goes fast, even though sometimes it won’t feel like it, hah.

Just wanted to comment that we have a baby mod Crib and it’s been in use for both Babies and is now 3 years old and still in excellent condition. It is about to get converted into a toddler bed, so I’m sure we’ll get a couple more years out of it too. No complaints from us.

loooooooooove the bedding. loooooooooove the high chair. And you know I love giving unsolicited advice so…..depending on how much you’ll be around bambino we realized that we have way too many bottles (I got Dr. Brown’s anti-colic glass bottles and they’re great). If you are mostly at home you really don’t need more than 2-3. Although I know you do have to work some, but just thought I’d let you know.

@pupfiction, I was planning on getting 2 of the 4 oz ones to start and with no replacement nipples. Do you think that would be ok? I figured we can buy more if/when needed (but am happy to hear that might actually be enough). Also, does M have any issues with the flow from using a bottle vs. nursing? The Life Factory ones are stage 1 for newborns but I’m afraid the flow might still be too fast.

And last bottle question, do we need one of those bottle brushes for the 4 oz bottles or not? I feel like my sponge could get in there just fine since it is shallow but maybe I am mistaken?

THANK YOU for this post! I am 22 weeks pregnant, and my husband and I decided to hit up Target this past weekend to register. Without a plan. Not a great idea! So, I’ve been doing my research and I am so happy to hear how unstressful it was for you with a list – which is what I am doing. Now I just wish we had a BuyBuyBaby nearby!

@Kristen, Congratulations! Definitely go in with a list. Let me know how it goes! Not sure if you saw the Munchkin safety bath cradle at Target but Young House Love uses it and it is so small and awesome. It’s instead of one of those bulky bathtubs. We bought one last week and I can’t wait to use it!

I have two life factory bottles (they make them for adults too!) and I LOVE love love them. Drinking out of plastic and even stainless steel/aluminum creeps me out but the glass bottles just seem so clean